Tech chief caught in ‘affair’ with HR director on Coldplay kiss cam

The chief executive of a US tech company has been caught in a suspected affair with a colleague after the “kiss cam” at a Coldplay concert broadcast them embracing to a crowd of thousands.

Footage shared on social media appeared to show Andy Byron, who runs the New York-based company Astronomer, with his arms draped around the company’s HR director, Kristin Cabot, during the band’s concert in Boston, Massachusetts.

When footage of the pair was beamed around the arena, Byron quickly moved out of sight of the camera, while Cabot turned around and hid her face.

The crowd can be heard laughing as Chris Martin, the singer of Coldplay, says: “Oh, look at these two ... Either they’re having an affair or they’re very shy.”

Concert-goers quickly took to social media to share videos of the incident and identify the two individuals. Users speculated about a possible affair between the two colleagues, who are both believed to be married – although this has not been confirmed.

Byron has led the American software company Astronomer for two years, according to his LinkedIn profile. Before that, he held a string of jobs at other US firms.

Coldplay’s Chris Martin called out the duo after they appeared on the kiss cam.Credit: Wolter Peeters

Cabot, meanwhile, joined the company in 2024 as the chief people officer. At the time, Byron described her as “a proven leader at multiple growth-stage companies and her passion for fostering diverse, collaborative workplaces makes her a perfect fit for Astronomer”.

Footage of the incident has now racked up millions of views on the social media platform TikTok, sparking a deluge of comments from viewers.

The incident comes just months after Astronomer, a software company, raised $US93 million ($143 million) from investors.

In an appearance on the New York Stock Exchange’s live TV channel, Byron said this would fuel its growth into “hopefully a really big, meaningful company”, adding that it had plans to expand into Europe and Asia.

Astronomer was contacted for comment.

Telegraph, London

The Business Briefing newsletter delivers major stories, exclusive coverage and expert opinion. Sign up to get it every weekday morning.